Lawrie Conole wrote "...the Song Thrushes that I'm familiar
with in Melboune and Geelong (in southern Victoria) do have
long and seemingly elaborate song cycles - though highly
repetitive it seems ...."
Highly repetitive indeed ! See the authoritative source,
Robert Browning's 'Home Thoughts from Abroad', which
includes:
"Oh, to be in England
Now that April's there.
...
That's the wise thrush; he sings each song twice over,
Lest you should think he never could recapture
The first fine careless rapture!
... "
But, yes, the ornithologists do say it can repeat more than
once. Anyhow the repetition distinguishes it from the
blackbird and other Turdidae in the UK. (Reader's Digest
Book of British Birds.) Over there it starts singing in
January which is equivalent to July! here.
To add a bit to Simon Starr's I reckon the blackbird singing
season around SE Melbourne has become briefer with the
drought. But it may be the increased suppression - whoops
"development" - around me means that singing to announce
territories is becoming less important.
Michael Norris
Hampton, Victoria 38° 56' S 145° 1' E
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